Hand shampoo and supply tray

ABSTRACT

A hand-operated shampoo device for cleaning fabrics or the like comprising in combination a body arranged to be hand held and having on it rolling members on axles which are at an angle to the direction of travel of the said body as it is swept across the surface, the angular disposition resulting in a shearing action between the rolling members and the surface, there being means to apply fluid to the rolling members comprising a tray having a floor which is channelled or shaped to hold a small volume of a foaming liquid supplied to the floor, rolling members when engaged on the floor and rolled on same causing the liquid to foam and thus charging the rolling members with foam rather than a quantity of liquid.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Donald Nation Srnyth South Plympton,South Australia, Australia [21] Appl. No. 873,814 [22] Filed Nov. 4,1969 [45] Patented Sept. 28, 1971 [73] Assignee S. A. Brush CompanyLimited Albert Park, South Australia, Australia [32] Priority Nov. 22,1968 [33] Australia [31 46690 [54] HAND SHAMPOO AND SUPPLY TRAY 10Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

[52] 11.8. CI 401/118, 401/196, 401/23 51 lnt.Cl A461) 11 00 [50]FieldofSearch ..401/118-121, 16, 21, 22, 26,137-140, 9,13, 34 35, 23, 2,37-39, 41-43;15/257,106,114, 374

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,396,862 3/1946 Linderoth15/374 X Primary Examiner-Lawrence Charles Attorney0ldham & OldhamABSTRACT: A hand-operated shampoo device for cleaning fabrics or thelike comprising in combination a body arranged to be hand held andhaving on it rolling members on axles which are at an angle to thedirection of travel of the said body as it is swept across the surface,the angular disposition resulting in a shearing action between therolling members and the surface, there being means to apply fluid to therolling members comprising a tray having a floor which is channelled orshaped to hold a small volume of a foaming liquid supplied to the floor,rolling members when engaged on the floor and rolled on same causing theliquid to foam and thus charging the rolling members with foam ratherthan a quantity of liquid.

PATENTED SEP28 Ian 3509,0453

sum 1 or 3 a 1 11 114 7/6 Z.4n/

HAND SHAMPOO AND SUPPLY TRAY This invention relates to hand shampoo andsupply tray.

In the cleaning of furniture having fabric or similar surfaces, orduring the cleaning of small areas of carpets of the like, it isadvantageous to use a shampoo device by means of which the shampoo canbe applied and which device will have the necessary brushing orscrubbing as well as picking up action to ensure that the cleaning iseffected with a minimum amount of cleaning fluid present at any stage,because if excess fluid, particularly liquid, is used or is left on thefabric or the like, there is a tendency for discoloration or for colorsto be brought up from lower layers of the material with consequentdamage to the material.

It is thus very important in the shampooing of fabrics or the like tofirstly effectively control the amount of shampoo fluid in contact withthe surface and secondly to have the right kind of action which willremove the dirt or foreign matter from the surface yet which will leavethe surface in a relatively dry and fluid-free condition.

According to the invention cleaning is effected by rolling members whichare so arranged that they have the effect of both brushing the surfaceand of applying and removing fluids used in the cleaning process, thisbeing achieved by having rotary members which moved with their axes atan angle to the direction of travel of the apparatus and preferablyutilized alternate brushes and sponges so that while the brushesoperated on the surface to remove adhering dirt, the sponges servedpartly to supply shampoo medium to the surface but also to absorb excessfluid from the surface together with dirt or the like which has beenloosened or lifted by the shampoo fluid.

To supply the correct amount of shampoo foam, which should moisten thesurface being cleaned but not wet it, the invention comprises the use ofan applicator or member used in association with a supply member bymeans of which the correct amount of cleaning foam is applied to theapplicator.

One of the features which we have discovered to be very important inshampooing surfaces is to have good thick foam on the member which isused to effect the cleaning, rather than to simply wet the member with ashampoo liquid. The use of thick, dry foam gives faster and very muchmore efficient cleaning action and above all prevents or obviates theactual wetting of the surface such as must take place if the shampooliquid is applied directly. Liquid penetration can have the effect, asstated earlier herein, of bringing up colors from beneath the surfacerather than merely cleaning the surface, which is the desired action.

For this reason one of the objects of the present invention is to ensurethat the cleaning will be done by means of a shampoo foam, and to thisend a special construction of the tray by means of which the foam isgenerated and applied is an important feature.

Thus according to one form of the invention a shampoo device is providedwhich is adapted to be held in the hand and which has on it rotatablemembers preferably consisting of alternate brushes and sponge means, andwith this is associated a shampoo tray which is adapted to contain aquantity of liquid in a reservoir, the depth of the liquid beingcontrolled by supply from the reservoir, the arrangement being such thatthe operative part of the hand unit can be engaged on the floor of theshampoo tray and by moving the unit back and forth a good thick foam isproduced and will be picked up from the tray and the hand unit can thenbe used to clean a surface, recharging of the unit being periodicallyeffected by again applying it to the tray.

While the actual construction of such a device can be very considerablyvaried, an embodiment will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, but it is to be clear that the invention need notnecessarily be limited to this form.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention showing the tray andapplicator,

FIG. 2 is an exploded fragmentary view of part of the tray showingparticularly how the liquid container joins to the tray,

FIG. 3 is a central section through the tray and container, FIG. 4 is anenlarged cross section on line 4-4 of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a perspectiveview of the applicator,

FIG. 6 is a central section of the applicator moulding,

FIG. 7 is a view of the cleaning assembly with one set of rollers andbrushes removed to show the supporting spindle, and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged exploded view of the brush and sponge assembly.

The shampoo device comprises a body 1 formed of plastic or the likehaving a flattened Vee" shape and having a handle 2 projectingtherefrom, said body having on its underside a se ries of circularbrushes 3 and sponges 4 alternately placed on shafts 5 which aredisposed at an angle of the direction of travel. The shafts engage aplug 6. The brushes 3 and sponges 4 are of varying diameter from alarger diameter at the center to a smaller diameter at the two outerends of the Vee" and this assembly is arranged to be clipped into asocket 7 of the body 1 but the whole assembly is so arranged that bygrasping the handle 8, the brush and sponge assembly can be brought intocontact with the surface to be cleaned and by simply moving the memberforward and backward over the surface the necessary applying of thecleaning fluid as well as the cleaning and the withdrawing of surplusfluid will be carried out, this being possible because as the brushes 3and sponges 4 are moved in a direction which is angular to the axes ofthe shaft 5 of the assembly, a shearing action results at the interfacebetween the brushes 3 and sponges 4 and the surface being cleaned, whichaction has been found to give ideal cleaning conditions.

The brushes 3, which have centers 9, are interconnected to rotatetogether by mounting the sponges 4 on reels 10 which, like the centers9, are free to turn on the shafts 5, but have cooperating pins 11engaging sockets 12 in the centers of the brushes so that all brushes 3are rotationally locked together through the nonrotational engagementwith the reels 10 and also are held at correct spacing by the reels 10to ensure that the sponges 4 can operate freely without undue endwisesqueezing. The outer ends of the shafts 5 engage sockets 12a in the body1.

The shampoo tray, in the form shown, comprises the tray 15 itself inwhich a required depth of shampoo liquid is held, and a reservoir 16which is held to the tray by clips 17 to maintain the required level ofthe liquid in the tray 15, but the floor 18 of the tray 15 is providedwith a series of longitudinal channels 19 which lead to the reservoir 16and which are fed by utilizing a reservoir which is sealed and intowhich the longitudinal channels 19 open so that the feed to thelongitudinal channels 19 takes place only to the required depth as thelevel of liquid in the channels 19 falls to admit air into the reservoir16. A sealing gasket 20 is engaged in a groove 21 in the end 22 of thetray to seal the open end 23 of the reservoir 16 open only into thechannels 19 (see FIG. 2).

The floor of the tray also has transverse channels 25 which serve mainlyto ensure that the rolling shampoo members 4 are driven, but these needbe only of a very shallow depth in relation to the longitudinalchannels, but the whole assembly is such that by appropriatemanipulation at least the longitudinal channels can be filled with thecleaning liquid, though a higher level is preferably used, as can beachieved by having the opening 26 to one of the channels 19 higher thanthe floor l8, and therefore when an applicator in the form of a handshampoo or the like is run forward and backward over the channelledfloor 18 of this tray, it will agitate the liquid to form a foam, sothat foarn rather than liquid will be picked up, and thus the work canbe done without an oversupply of liquid on the applicator device.

The floor 18 of the tray 15 is surrounded with a marginal wall 27 and atone end this tray is adapted to have clipped to it the reservoir assaid, while at the other end it is provided with a grip 28. A pair oflow legs 30 can be used at this end of the tray if the floor of the trayis required to have a slight downward slope towards the reservoir toallow back-draining of the liquid. Obviously with a slight slope theliquid level in the channels 19 and tray can be deeper at the supplyend, the

end near the reservoir 16, than at the raised end, thus allowing a veryexact selection of the amount of liquid present to produce the foam. Theliquid can be drained back by lifting the end of the tray having thegrip 28 as then the reservoir is at the lower end.

As the chamber is completely sealed excepting for the channel openings19 and 26 it will be realized that although the level of the liquid inthe reservoir 16, may be well above the level of the liquid in the tray,nevertheless because of atmospheric pressure the tray will only receiveits required amount of feed consistent with the height of the aperturesin the end 22 of the tray which forms the closure means for thereservoir when it is positioned on the tray.

The handle 2 of the applicator 1 can rest in a depression 30a in thegrip 28 when not in use.

From the forgoing it will be realized that the invention comprises atray which has a controlled level of liquid therein which can beagitated to form a foam, the applicator comprising a member which isprovided with means which can pick up the required amount of foam fromthe tray from time to time as required, and which has rotational membersso formed and of such material that a shearing action on the surface ofthe fabric or the like being cleaned will result in which cleaning willbe enhanced because firstly there will be a brushing action due to theshearing force and secondly there will be the application of cleaningfoam to the surface through sponges or other means which form part ofthe rotating means on the applicator and further, because of theshearing force, will have the effect of loosening dirt or the like, andteasing up the surface to ensure that this is done most effectively, andany excess moisture will be automatically lifted from the surface by thesponges or the like due to the particular action.

The shape of the applicator also ensures that the tray can produce athick foam.

While one complete embodiment of the invention has been disclosedherein, it will be appreciated that modification of this particularembodiment of the invention may be resorted to without departing fromthe scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A hand-operated shampoo device comprising in combination a bodyadapted to be hand held, rolling members on axles on said body havingtheir axes at an angle to the direction of travel of the said body toresult in a shearing action between the rolling members and a surface,and means to apply fluid to the rolling members comprising a tray, afloor in said tray, and means to supply a foaming liquid to said floor,

whereby the rolling members can engage the floor and roll on same tofoam the liquid and to be charged by the said foam.

2. A hand-operated shampoo device according to claim 1 wherein therolling members are formed of a sponge material to carry the said foamand act to reabsorb foam and matter carried by it due to the saidshearing action.

3. A hand-operated shampoo device according to claim 2 wherein circularbrushes are positioned between the said rolling members.

4. A hand-operated shampoo device according to claim 1 wherein the saidbody has a flattened Vee" shape with a handle projecting therefrom, apair of shafts centrally joined to a plug and positioned to follow theVee shape of the body, a socket in the body to be engaged by the saidplug whereby to support the said shafts, sockets in the body to engagethe outer ends of the shafts, circular brushes rotatable on said shafts,and sponges between said brushes also rotatable on said shafts.

5. A hand-operated shampoo device according to claim 4 wherein thebrushes and sponges are rotationally joined together.

6. A hand-operated shampoo device according to claim 1 wherein therolling members are formed of sponge plastic and are alternated withcircular brushes, coupling means to cause the rolling members andbrushes to rotate together, and inclined axles to carry said rollingmembers and brushes in flattened Vee formation.

7. A hand-operated shampoo device according to claim 1 wherein the trayhas channels in the floor to contain the said forming liquid andincludes a reservoir for the liquid which releases only sufficientliquid to just cover at least part of the said floor.

8. A hand-operated shampoo device according to claim 7 wherein thechannels are arranged longitudinally in the floor and have one endopening through an end of the tray to communicate with fluid in areservoir held to the said end.

9. A hand-operated shampoo device according to claim 1 wherein the saidtray has channels in its floor and has an end through which the saidchannels in the floor of the tray open, wherein which an open end of anotherwise sealed fluid reservoir is adapted to engage and be sealed tothe said end on the tray, whereby fluid from the tray will flow into thesaid channels only when air is admitted to the reservoir through thechannels open through said end.

10. A hand-operated shampoo device according to claim 9 wherein the trayalso has transverse channels intersecting the said longitudinalchannels.

1. A hand-operated shampoo device comprising in combination a bodyadapted to be hand held, rolling members on axles on said body havingtheir axes at an angle to the direction of travel of the said body toresult in a shearing action between the rolling members and a surface,and means to apply fluid to the rolling members comprising a tray, afloor in said tray, and means to supply a foaming liquid to said floor,whereby the rolling members can engage the floor and roll on same tofoam the liquid and to be charged by the said foam.
 2. A hand-operatedshampoo device according to claim 1 wherein the rolling members areformed of a sponge material to carry the said foam and act to reabsorbfoam and matter carried by it due to the said shearing action.
 3. Ahand-operated shampoo device according to claim 2 wherein circularbrushes are positioned between the said rolling members.
 4. Ahand-operated shampoo device according to claim 1 wherein the said bodyhas a flattened ''''Vee'''' shape with a handle projecting therefrom, apair of shafts centrally joined to a plug and positioned to follow the''''Vee'''' shape of the body, a socket in the body to be engaged by thesaid plug whereby to support the said shafts, sockets in the body toengage the outer ends of the shafts, circular brushes rotatable on saidshafts, and sponges between said brushes also rotatable on said shafts.5. A hand-operated shampoo device according to claim 4 wherein thebrushes and sponges are rotationally joined together.
 6. A hand-operatedshampoo device according to claim 1 wherein the rolling members areformed of sponge plastic and are alternated with circular brushes,coupling means to cause the rolling members and brushes to rotatetogether, and inclined axles to carry said rolling members and brushesin flattened ''''Vee'''' formation.
 7. A hand-operated shampoo deviceaccording to claim 1 wherein the tray has channels in the floor tocontain the said forming liquid and includes a reservoir for the liquidwhich releases only sufficient liquid to just cover at least part of thesaid floor.
 8. A hand-operated shampoo device according to claim 7wherein the channels are arranged longitudinally in the floor and haveone end opening through an end of the tray to communicate with fluid ina reservoir held to the said end.
 9. A hand-operated shampoo deviceaccording to claim 1 wherein the said tray has channels in its floor andhas an end through which the said channels in the floor of the trayopen, wherein which an open end of an otherwise sealed fluid reservoiris adapted to engage and be sealed to the said end on the tray, wherebyfluid from the tray will flow into the said channels only when air isadmitted to the reservoir through the channels opening through said end.10. A hand-operated shampoo device according to claim 9 wherein the trayalso has transverse channels intersecting the said longitudinalchannels.